MURREE, Dec 16 The Town Municipal Administration (TMA) has declared 17 housing societies illegal and warned the plot seekers not to invest in them.

The Oil and Gas Development Corporation (OGDCL) Housing Society at Karlote, allegedly formed on the encroached land of the forest department, is also included in the list, Divisional Forest Officer Javed Gill confirmed while talking to Dawn.

Other societies declared fake and illegal are Sanam Garden, Chattar; Common Developers, Manga; Royal Town, Manga; Judicial Town, Barroha, Karlot (Chattar); Sun City, Salgran, Murree Hill Cooperation, Wapda Housing, Angoori Road; Asia Housing Society, Ahbaab Housing Society, Mohrra Eswal; Utility Housing Society, Manga; Pakistan Council of Architects Housing Society, Manga; Islamabad Gardens, Angoori Road Kuthar, and Green Valley Farm Housing Project, Samli Tajal.

Many people purchased land from local people on throwaway prices when the Islamabad-Murree Dual Carriageway project was announced in 1999.

The whole OGDCL town was set up on 1,100 kannals belonging to the forest department in alleged connivance with then divisional forest officer Malik Ameer Hussain.

Cases against the developer and the dealer Faizan Azam and DFO Murree Ameer Hussain were registered in courts and National Accountability Bureau (NAB).

According to sources, these housing societies were declared illegal and fake on the request of various departments as they had not obtained no-objection certificates.

It may be noted that a big housing society owned by an influential has not been declared illegal despite allegations that it had encroached upon forest department's land.

The administration of the society had accepted the allegations and offered to compensate for the encroached land, said sources.

FATEHJANG Deputy District Officer (Revenue) Talat Mahmood Gondal on Tuesday supervised an operation against illegal housing societies.

Complying with the instructions of District Coordination Officer (Attock) Shakeel Ahmed, personnel of the revenue department as well as the Tehsil Municipal Administration razed the offices of the fake developers and also removed their publicity boards.

Action was taken against several housing societies, including Fatima Town, Al-Habib and Asad Town, which were being developed in Fatehjang Tehsil.